CBL - Trying Again ( Post 2 of 2)

In my last post, I outlined in some detail my failure at Challenge Based Learning (CBL).  I promised the second post would be more hopeful, and it is.  I will tell you what I learned from last year and how I plan to get better results from this year's class.

1.  Assign groups - While I thought it was a good way to get brainstorming going with only 9 people, I think I inadvertently sent the message that this was pretty casual.  I didn't actually feel that way, but the formality of assigning groups implies a thoughtful process.  It also allows you to mix your personality types in a way that encourages good discussion.

2.  Be VERY clear up front - It would destroy the purpose of challenge based learning to give them the outcome you want and put it on a rubric.  However, we wasted quite a bit of time when they didn't understand the point of the project.  This year, I made a video using Screencastify, outlining the purpose of the project.  It included a picture of a refrigerator and one of a fan.  Also, I will be telling them a bit about last year's difficulty so that they won't think this is about a global energy crisis.

3.  Don't tell - do guide (at the beginning) - When I heard discussions about war with Cuba and volcanoes, I should have realized that they didn't understand the project's purpose.  I thought they were trying to be funny and waited it out.  If I could do that one over, I would have stopped early on and said, "Tell me what you think the point of this project is."  Your guidance should be MOSTLY in the form of asking leading questions.

4.  Set benchmarks - I did this last year, but I don't think I did it enough.  I should have been asking them to blog their progress each week or giving exit tickets on Wednesdays.  While letting them sink or swim can be valuable, this might have been a helpful floaty in the pool.

5.  Expect more - I never communicated this out loud, but I may have in my demeanor.  Even as I talked through this project with our technology coach, I kept saying, "Who knows?  I don't know what to expect from this group."  This year, I have much higher expectations of these groups.  I still don't know what they will come up with at the end, but I feel like they will have more interesting ideas.

6.  Try to say "Yes" - When you first hear an idea, don't jump to the immediate conclusion that it can't work.  There are limits to this; we weren't going to use electric eel tanks or steal electricity from the Dominican Republic.  That said, when an idea that sounds "a little" out there comes up, don't just say it won't work.  Ask the right questions.  It could be that they are on a service road to a really good highway and just need to find the on-ramp.  If they aren't, asking the right questions will allow them to come to that conclusion on their own.

I will be introducing this project on Friday, so I'll let you all know how it goes in coming weeks.